DUBUQUE, Iowa – The No. 14-ranked Loras College men's volleyball team swept the Benedictine University Eagles, 3-0, in the opening match of the 2026 season.  

The Duhawks were led by Roman Rothermel, who posted a career-high seven blocks, Connor Jaral who finished with a career-high 12 kills, and Evan Dziadkowiec who pitched in 25 assists. 

Loras (1-0 overall, 0-0 CCIW) jumped out to an early 4-1 lead on two kills from Rothermel paired with two Eagle errors. The Duhawks were able to extend that lead to 14-6 after a 5-0 run on serves from Elijah Passey. Benedictine (0-2, 0-0 NACC) was able to climb back and keep the score close, cutting the lead down to four (16-12) following a kill from Jaron Lindsay, but the Duhawks were able to take the first set 25-17. 

In the second set, neither team was able to pull ahead, and the score was tied at six. This back-and-forth was short lived, however, as the Duhawks were able to gain a four-point lead to make the score 12-8 on another kill from Rothermel, leading to an Eagle timeout. Both teams traded points once again before a huge momentum kill from James Pirocanac gave the Duhawks a five-point lead. After the Purple and Gold extended the score to 17-10, the Eagles went on a 4-0 run and eventually cut the lead down to one. This was not enough, however, as the Duhawks took the third set 25-20. 

Loras looked to put the Eagles away early in the third set, jumping out to a 7-0 lead before the Eagles got their first third set point on a Duhawk error. The Duhawks continued to dominate throughout the third set, extending the score to 19-11 after a huge block from Rothermel and Pirocanac. The Eagles showed no quit despite the deficit, closing the lead to six late in the third set, but three kills from Jaral and another from Dziadkowiec were enough for the Duhawks to take the third set 25-18. 

Up Next: The Duhawks travel to Madison, Wis. to take on the Edgewood University Eagles on Tuesday, Jan. 20. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Todd Wehr Edgedome.